The Best Free Movies on YouTube
The streaming market has become increasingly diverse. In the past few years, dozens of platforms have made their way to the digital world, from general providers like Netflix and Max to more niche sites like The Criterion Channel and BroadwayHD.
As great as Netflix, Disney+, or Paramount+ is — providing subscribers with oodles of premium content updated regularly —it’s also hard to beat free content like the numerous movies currently streaming on YouTube.
From beloved modern films like Life of Pi to tried and true cult classics like Beverly Hills Cop, these free movies rank as some of the best streaming on YouTube right now.
Updated: December.
Drama: Philadelphia (1993)
In the early 1990s, Tom Hanks had become known for his more comedic roles as the ordinary leading man–a role he specialized in with movies like Splash, Big, and The ‘Burbs. In 1993, though, Hanks abandoned the comedic pretense he’d built his entire career off of, opting for a more sobering performance in 1993’s Philadelphia.
As he contends with worsening health conditions triggered by AIDS, a Philadelphia-based lawyer (Hanks) wrongfully terminated by his employers hires a fellow attorney (Denzel Washington) to plead his case.
A dense and gripping legal drama, Philadelphia dramatizes an actual heartrending trial, illustrating the conservative outlook many people had in regards to homosexuality and those afflicted with AIDS in the 1980s and early ‘90s.
War: Black Hawk Down (2001)
A few short months ago, acclaimed director Ridley Scott has returned with his latest epic–the large-scale biographical film, Napoleon. While Scott’s newest movie has earned a largely polarized response thus far, viewers can always refresh themselves with the director’s previous work, including his 2001 war film, Black Hawk Down.
In the early 1990s, an elite task force of U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force operatives infiltrate the Somalian city of Mogadishu, leading to an intense battle between the soldiers and militia forces inside the city.
A tense and chaotic ensemble war film, Black Hawk Down excels at showing the terrifying reality of modern warfare from a firsthand perspective. Underscoring the heroism of real-life soldiers involved in the conflict, the film also emphasizes the close bond that exists amongst troops in the heat of combat.
Crime: Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
This past month, Netflix released the trailer for their upcoming 2024 film, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. A long-belated sequel to the famous Eddie Murphy-led crime comedy series, the film sees Murphy return to his most well-known cinematic role 30 years after the series’ previous installment.
On the trail of his best friend’s (James Russo) killer, a street-smart Detroit detective (Murphy) arrives in Beverly Hills, where his investigation soon leads him to a shady art dealer (Steven Berkoff).
Murphy’s first mainstream cinematic role after his breakout success on Saturday Night Live, Beverly Hills Cop helped Murphy gain further exposure in the film industry, leading to a long and successful career spanning dozens of films in the years that followed.
Adventure: Life of Pi (2012)
When it hit bookshelves in 2001, Yann Martel’s breakthrough novel–Life of Pi–became a massive success among a large audience of literary enthusiasts. Eleven years later, Martel’s book found its way into a cinematic adaptation–a film that proved every bit as successful as its literary counterpart.
Surviving a disastrous shipwreck, a 16-year-old from India (Suraj Sharma) endures a 227-day journey aboard a drifting lifeboat with a fiery-tempered Bengal tiger.
Staying true to the philosophical messages of Martel’s novel, director Ang Lee probes into the enthusiastic mindset of the film’s title character, allowing audiences to see the world through his youthful and appreciative eyes.
Thriller: Rear Window (1954)
Though Alfred Hitchcock has no shortage of classic films making up his filmography, one might make a serious case claiming that Rear Window serves as the Master’s definitive magnum opus. Loaded with intrigue and mystery, the film demonstrates Hitchcock’s consistent ability to build suspense with the most limited premise at his disposal.
Recuperating from a leg injury in his Greenwich Village apartment, a professional photographer (James Stewart) begins to suspect that his next-door neighbor (Raymond Burr) has murdered his wife (Irene Winston).
Using the limited settings of the film to his advantage, Hitchcock constructs a film fraught with tension, leading audiences down a paranoid wormhole of murder, jealousy, and voyeurism. Next to Vertigo, the film marks Hitch’s most successful collaboration with Jimmy Stewart (a man he partnered with on four different films).
Mystery: L.A. Confidential (1997)
A love letter to classic ‘40s and ‘50s detective movies, L.A. Confidential acts as a star-studded adaptation of James Ellroy’s best-selling novel of the same name. An ambitious neo-noir film, the meandering narrative of the film piques audiences’ interests from the very get-go.
In early 1950s Los Angeles, three detectives of vastly different temperaments (Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey) investigate systemic corruption within the city’s police department.
An underrated masterpiece deserving of a larger contemporary audience, L.A. Confidential offers a more modern portrayal of the noir genre, complete with such serious thematic explorations as ‘50s police brutality, racism, and corruption.
Family: Monster House (2006)
On paper, the best time to watch Monster House comes during the Halloween season, the movie offering a light-hearted assortment of scares fit for the entire family. Nevertheless, Monster House remains a movie worthy of a watch any time of the year, be it New Year’s Eve or the Fourth of July.
Believing a paranormal presence dwells next door, a 12-year-old boy (Mitchel Musso) and his best friends (Sam Lerner and Spencer Locke) start to wonder whether the house on their street has a mind of its own.
A stylized supernatural horror movie that offers just enough thrills to keep all audience members engaged, Monster House also ranks as one of the most underrated family-friendly movies of the 2000s.
Sci-Fi: RoboCop (1987)
One of the most iconic sci-fi films of all time, RoboCop continues to thrill audiences well over 30 years since its release. A first-rate revenge techno-thriller, director Paul Verhoeven also manages to weave in a stunning breakdown of mass consumer culture.
Viciously tortured to death by a gang of thugs, a high tech company rebuilds a former police officer (Peter Weller) into the law enforcement cyborg, RoboCop. As he cleans up the streets of Detroit, RoboCop soon has to contend with memories of his past life cropping up in his crusade against crime.
A stunning and nightmarish look at a dystopian future ravaged by unchecked capitalism, RoboCop stuns viewers with its raw violence and action, while also leaving them with an intelligent discussion of cutthroat corporate politics and a rampant over-reliance on technology.
Action: Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
A cult classic from fan-favorite horror director John Carpenter, Big Trouble in Little China also ranks as one of the filmmaker’s certified best films. A humorous and original take on the martial arts movie, Big Trouble in Little China takes special delight in subverting and upsetting numerous conventions surrounding the kung fu film, flipping the entire genre on its head.
When his best friend’s (Dennis Chu) fiancee (Suzee Pai) is kidnapped by an ancient mystical sorcerer (James Hong), a tough-talking truck driver wades into the criminal underworld of San Francisco to help rescue her.
Another successful collaboration between Carpenter and his regular star Kurt Russell, Big Trouble in Little China’s zany atmosphere and cartoonish tone makes it a fresh and unique addition to Carpenter’s horror-heavy body of work.
Underrated: 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)
In 1968, legendary auteur Stanley Kubrick reinvented the sci-fi genre as viewers knew it, delivering the far more ambiguous sci-fi tale, 2001: A Space Odyssey. A timeless entry in the science fiction genre, the film eventually saw the addition of a sequel over ten years later, continuing Arthur C. Clarke’s ambitious story of outer space exploration.
Nine years after the disappearance of the 2001 Jupiter mission, the U.S. and Soviet Union race against one another to learn what happened to the missing crew.
With the return of classic 2001 characters like Dave Bowman and HAL 9000, 2010: The Year We Make Contact makes for a welcome addition to Clarke’s intricate sci-fi universe. Though it never probes the same existential issues as 2001, the movie still serves as a palpitating sci-fi adventure unlike any other.
